Obama downplayedhis record in this regard

WorldOne group in the border city of Ciudad Juarez pledged last week to "clean our city of these criminals" and said their mission was to "end the life of a criminal every 24 hours."The emergence of vigilantes would be a new twist to a vicious drug war that killed 5,700 people in Mexico last year and forced the United States to give hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to the Mexican government.Ciudad Juarez, a manufacturing center in the desert across from El Paso, Texas, was the scene of the worst violence in 2008 as drug cartels fought each other as well as staging kidnappings for ransom and extorting businessmen.In an e-mail to news organizations, the "Juarez Citizen Command" said it was funded by local businessmen sick of abductions and extortion in the city, home to factories that export goods to the United States.While none of the city's 1,600 in the last year were undoubtedly the work of vigilantes, a body was found on January 7 with a message next to it that read: "This is for those who continue extorting."And six men in their 20s and 30s were shot dead and dumped together in Ciudad Juarez in October with a cardboard sign reading: "Message for all the rats: This will continue."Drug gangs often leave threatening messages with the bodies of their victims, but security officials said those two incidents might have been the work of vigilantes.Another group, "Businessmen United, The Death Squad" put a video on Internet site YouTube last June threatening to go after kidnappers and criminals in Ciudad Juarez, the biggest city in Mexico's Chihuahua state. The video is no longer on YouTube."FACELESS, ANONYMOUS"State officials in Chihuahua said they were investigating who was behind the messages."We cannot tolerate the presence of these type of faceless, anonymous groups," said Manuel del Castillo, a spokesman for the state government.Retiring CIA chief Michael Hayden said last week that Mexico's drug violence was possibly a greater problem than Iraq for President-elect Barack Obama The U.S. Justice Department also says Mexican gangs are one of the biggest threats to the United States.Mexican President Felipe Calderon has sent tens of thousands of troops and federal police to battle drug gangs but the violence has become worse since he took office in 2006.At least two other groups calling themselves vigilantes have sent statements to news organizations in the past two months, one in the northern state of Sonora bordering Arizona, and the other in the Pacific state of Guerrero, home to the beach resort of Acapulco.In Ciudad Juarez, some residents say they would welcome vigilantes "That way they would stop the gangs, the mafia. People are leaving here because of so many murders," said David Hinojosa, 30, who shines shoes in the city.The city has been rocked by gun battles and beheadings by rival gangs fighting over smuggling routes into Texas, despite the presence of around 3,000 troops and federal police.But local lawmakers say encouraging vigilantes is a mistake.

Some residents question whether soldiers are moonlighting as hitmen for drug gangs, a charge the army denies."People's reactions are understandable. But this is not the route we should take to solve things," said Andreu Rodriguez, an opposition lawmaker and the head of security issues in Chihuahua's state legislature.(Additional reporting and writing by Robin Emmott in Monterrey; Editing by Kieran Murray) World. Strong Offense on Gun Rights the Best Defense, says American Firearm RightsActivistWASHINGTON, Jan. 19 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ "Since a strong offense is thebest defense, now is the time for 90 million gun-owning voters in the UnitedStates to adopt that strategy," says John M Snyder of Telum Associates. "Promoting aggressively the proposed National Right to Carry Reciprocity Actis the way to go."(Logo: http:// )"Gun grabbers see potential for passing restrictive gun control legislation asa president with a record of support for repressive measures takes office,"says Snyder, named the senior rights activist in Washington by Shotgun News,"but gun rights issues played little part in his election.Obama downplayedhis record in this regard."When Obama's party went for gun control, with enactment of a 1994semiautomatic firearms ban, the party lost control in the House ofRepresentatives for the first time in decades.Former President Clinton evenstated the anti-gun initiative was the reason for the loss.The ban wasallowed to sunset after a decade.Some Democrats want to resurrect the banand even strengthen it.They risk seeing the party smashed again in anelection."Snyder, Public Affairs Director of the Citizens Committee for the Right toKeep and Bear Arms, says "the 90 million gun owners in our country are tens ofmillions more people than there were voters for Obama.Members of Congressmost likely are aware of this.""One of the most popular legislative initiatives in recent years allowsqualified law-abiding citizens to carry concealed firearms," says Snyder."Studies demonstrate that in jurisdictions where such a public policy isimplemented, violent crime takes a nosedive.Forty states now have some kindof right to carry policy."What has been missing is national CCW legislation so that persons permittedto carry in a state may carry in other states, in much the same way peoplelicensed to drive in a state may drive in other states.Into this breechcomes the bipartisan introduction of the proposed National Right to CarryConcealed Act of 2009, by Reps. Cliff Stearns of Florida, a Republican, andRick Boucher of Virginia, a Democrat."Snyder says "Democrats and Republicans in Congress can show they have theirconstituents' interests at heart by cosponsoring the bill."John SOURCETelum Associates, LL.C.John Snyder of Telum Associates, LL.C., 1-301-365-3180, . VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, Jan 19 (MARKET WIRE) Epic Data International Inc.

All figures are quoted in Canadian dollars.2008 Highlights- Revenue for 2008 of $11.2 million up from $11.1 million in 2007, ofwhich $4.8 million related to a single customer- EBITDA for 2008 of $0.9 million up from a loss of $0.3 million in 2007- Net income for 2008 of $0.4 million ($0.03 per share) which was on parwith the $0.4 million ($0.03 per share) in 2007- Cash flow from operations for 2008 of $0.4 million up from negativecash flow of $1.5 million in 2007- Cash on hand at September 30, 2008 of $1.2 million up from $0.7 millionat the end of fiscal 2007- Successfully completed a $4.8 million project with a major defensecontractor using IntegraNet(TM) application and MPT9600 terminals- Appointment of Robert Nygren as President & CEO- Appointment of Alex Sventitsky as Vice President, Sales- Launch of Epic Data MPT 9600 Shop Floor Kiosk product in August 2008- Release of MXE 2.0 data collection platform in May 2008 (applicationnow branded IntegraNet(TM))- Successful deployment of MMS material visibility application for amajor mining and construction heavy equipment manufacturer (applicationnow branded IntegraMV(TM))Fourth Quarter Highlights- Revenue of $3.8 million up from $2.7 million in Q4 2007, of which $2.3million related to a single customer- EBITDA of $0.8 million up from to $0.2 million in Q4 2007- Cash flow from operations of $1.3 million up from $0.4 million Q4 2007Results of OperationsBelow is the selected financial information for the three months and yearended September 30, 2008.Epic Data International Inc.Consolidated operationsfor the periods ended September 30,Three months endedYear ended(Thousands of Canadian dollars) 2008200720082007 - - - -Revenue$ 3,839 $ 2,677 $11,166 $11,095Cost of sales1,756 1,159 5,460 5,222Gross Margin 2,083 1,518 5,706 5,873Operating expenses Selling and marketing 457 499 1,679 2,096 General and administration635 647 2,548 3,005 Product development 197 204 615 1,086 1,289 1,350 4,842 6,187Income (loss) before undernoted items (EBITDA)794 168 864(314)Other expenses (income) Amortization of property,plant and equipment 3956 182 244 Net finance charges25209976 Other 160(974)192(1,033) 224(898)473(713)Net income for the period$ 570 $ 1,066 $ 391 $ 399Earnings per share Basic $0.04 $0.08 $0.03 $0.03 Diluted $0.04 $0.08 $0.03 $0.03EBITDA is not a term defined under generally accepted accounting principles("GAAP") however, it is used by investors in assessing performance of theCompany and its ability to generate sufficient cash flows to continue as agoing concern. As this term is not defined under GAAP it may not becomparable to similar terms used in documents of other public entities. TheCompany defines EBITDA as earnings from operations before interest expense,interest income, income taxes, amortization of property, plant andequipment, compensation costs related to stock options, interest accretion,severance and other non-recurring expenses and income items.Fiscal 2008 ResultsIn 2008 revenue increased slightly over 2007, due to a $4.8 millionupgrade project for a major defense contractor customer, however therewas a dramatic decrease in expenses as a result of prudent cost cuttingmeasures. These measures resulted in the Company reporting positiveEBITDA for the first time in 5 years. While implementing the costreductions, the Company maintained its ability to develop new products,enhance existing products, execute its sales strategy and deliver highquality service to its customers. Cash and working capital management wasa significant issue in fiscal 2008 and both showed significantimprovement by year end. Cash flow from operations increased to $0.4million, an increase of $1.9 million over 2007 and the cash balance atSeptember 30, 2008 was $1.2 million, an increase of $0.4 million from2007."The delivery of positive operating earnings and net income in fiscal2008 represents a significant achievement for Epic Data," commentedRobert Nygren, President & CEO.

"Our prudent focus on cost control andcash management positions Epic Data well for uncertain economicconditions. With a strong customer base of market leading manufacturers,Epic Data will continue to deepen these relationships in fiscal 2009 byexpanding our offering of high-integrity, robust efficiency solutions formanufacturing operations," added Nygren.Fourth Quarter ResultsRevenue for the fourth quarter of 2008 increased $1.1 million or 43 to$3.8 million compared with $2.7 million in the prior year due to revenueof $2.3 million recognized from a single upgrade project for a majordefense contractor customer. The increased revenue resulted in EBITDA forthe fourth quarter $0.8 million compared, the largest EBITDA for aquarter since the first quarter of fiscal year 1999. Net income for thethree months ended September 30, 2008 decreased $0.5 million to $0.6million compared with $1.1 million for the prior year. The net income in2008 was the resulted from improved operations with higher revenue andlower operating expenses, offset by the other expense charges, whereas in2007 the net income was almost all attributed to the other income item.About Epic DataFor over 30 years Epic Data has been a leader in collaborativemanufacturing optimization, visibility and data collection solutions tothe world's most progressive complex manufacturing organizations. Defensecontractors, aerospace, automotive, high technology and industrialequipment & machinery manufacturers employ Epic Data solutions tooptimize the ROI of their manufacturing IT infrastructure investments andoperations by increasing plant and people productivity, plant toenterprise visibility and time to value.